This invention relates generally to the field of telephony, and more particularly to an improved subscriber circuit connector block normally employed for interconnecting subscriber pairs to telephone company switching equipment. Devices of this general type are well known in the art, and the invention lies in specific constructional details which permit manufacture by assembling plural laminar elements to vary the effective capacity of an individual block, as well as improved convenience in installation and interconnection.
Laminar type construction in the manufacture of telephone connector blocks has been employed in the prior art, some of such constructions employing so-called quick clip terminals, the use of which has become standardized in the telephone industry. The present practice is to insert mold the connectors in place with the free ends projecting from the block to permit interconnection of conductors using an installation tool. The insert molding technique, of necessity, cannot provide insulative protection extending to the free ends of the quick clip connector terminals, nor can it provide for ready replacement of a damaged contact should such replacement become necessary. Further, once manufactured, the particular type of connector is not subject to modification for individual requirements of a user at a later date.
In my copending, above-identified application, Ser. No. 896,119, there is disclosed an improved telephone connector block of the class described which is particularly suited for a low cost of production, with a high degree of convenience in assembly using plural numbers of standardized components maintained in operative relation using threaded connecting members. An individual block comprises first and second end support elements and a number of individual planar contact holding elements each of which contains interconnected pairs of quick clip terminals, each interconnected pair accommodating a single subscriber circuit. The quick clip terminals are maintained in position solely by the juxtaposed condition of adjacent contact holder elements. The end support elements are threadedly engaged to maintain contact holder elements disposed therebetween. The contact holder elements support the quick clip contact elements throughout substantially the entire length of the latter, and provide insulative and strain relief protector functions as well.
While this construction affords a significant improvement over corresponding prior art construction, some difficulty has been encountered in the maintenance of the free ends of individual subscriber pairs in position adjacent the end of a corresponding quick clip terminal, so that large numbers of such pairs can be conveniently interconnected in serial fashion using a manually operated specialized tool for this purpose. In the construction disclosed in the above-mentioned application, there has been the tendency for the ends of conductors not to remain ready for engagement by the tool, owing to restorative forces caused by elastic memory in either the conductor or its insulative covering. Where it is necessary to interrupt the use of the tool in order to realign the end of the conductor for engagement therewith, substantial time is lost, and, in some cases, the terminal is interconnected with an incorrect conductor.